Imagine this: you’re a big and beautiful BOLD quality human being. You wake up, you go to work, you have lunch with friends, maybe go to your book club or yoga class, swipe left and right on the dating app of your choice, watch a reality show, and go to sleep. Pretty normal, right? But, somewhere, deep down in the pits of your plus posh soul is a need for more. You can’t quite put your finger on it. Oh…. there it is… there’s nobody of size around you. You’ve known your skinny friends since birth and your colleagues don’t want to talk about dating our which blouses fit best. Sure, you follow Tess Holiday on Instagram but every tenth guy on Tinder calls you fat when you turn them down (don’t you love that one?) There has to be more out there! Communities which accept body positivity and plus women are not easy to find believe it or not. And, how do you know which ones are legitimate? In fact, stay tuned, because Mel Mayhem and I just recently had an amazing encounter with a “modeling agent” who wants us to video chat with him before he can send us to Bella Models (yeah…. right… can’t wait until he sees my beautiful bearded face on his screen!). But, there are book signings, academic panels, meetups, parties, cruises, and other events for you to join! Have you seen the advertisements for ours?

Just recently, we had a conversation with one of our plus size friends about this scenario. We invited her to a body positive event and she replied, “That’s not really my scene.” Totally fine. But, nobody says that you need to march on the White House to discuss weight discrimination or boycott the Oscars because of their lack of female size diversity. Being in a room and knowing that the woman next to you has struggled to find that new blouse in her size and color preference, or sweated in a room that was too warm, or even been looked at by a man across the dinner table who expected sex with minimal effort because “you’re a big girl, you shouldn’t be so picky.” Well, we’ve been thinking about this for quite some time, and we’re going to be seriously updating our Bold Resources page. There are dating apps, clothing stores, websites, news sources, Instagram chats, facebook groups, etc. etc. all designed for the plus woman. But, in the meantime, let us tell you a story about Abigail Deal and her amazing growth in the BBW community.

“I’ve always been self-conscious and known to wear a cardigan or leggings to shield my body from the public,” says Abigail, “even when temperatures climbed in summer in Oregon & Washington. I noticed after attending this event in Vegas that I went back to my home, feeling free, and with a new found sense of confidence.”

What Aby (Abigal) is referring to is the first Bash she attended (A Bash is a generic name used by numerous BBW community companies to promote body acceptance while having a great party).

“I walked into the ‘Plush’ pre party the first night in leggings and a cardigan, and actually felt OVER dressed because I had just entered a room full of beautiful, sexy, confident women who weren’t afraid to show off their arms and legs, etc.  By the end of the week I went to the parties without the safety net of leggings and an cardigan.” – Abagail Deal

Plush is a night club in Vegas specifically created for the BBW and plus communities. This is one of many resources available to us!

“:Not only was I more comfortable,” says Abigal, “but I felt sexy and confident and like I had found somewhere I could truly be myself and that feeling I felt walking into the party on Saturday I wanted to hold onto and to share with other women like me who may have worn cardigans or cover ups to make others feel comfortable previously.”

In fact, Abigail was so impressed and inspired that she created the Instagram page @curvychicchick .  It’s already climbed to over 2,000 followers, which is nothing to gawk at (note: Bold is only at 1000+ followers). She’s been attending other great bashes, like the Cocoa Beach Bash run by Plus Dimensions.

And, she’s joined an amazing group that we were unaware of called the “Wolfpack Nation.” They are a group of friends in the Plus Size community that’s come together to help promote good times, good vibes and positive energy in the Plus Size community. The Wolfpack team hosted a pool party at the Plus Dimensions Cocoa Beach Bash in May that was a great success. Wolfpack Nation will continue to host and partner with well-known plus size organizations to create fun events for the community and event attendees in the future. Join them on facebook by clicking their name, above. 

“My mission has been to promote body positivity in the Plus Size community and to encourage others to embrace the skin [they are] in,” says Aby, “whether it’s at a BBW event or in their day to day lives.” Aby says that being part of the community has really helped her embrace learn and grow, a feat she hopes to bring to others in the community. Well, we’ve caught up with Aby and we’re excited to say that we’re going to talk about her Wolfpack, her Instagram account, and her lack of cardigans. We’re excited to say we’re chatting with her next week. Until then, join her wolf pack and be bold!